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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — This week, Gov. Mark Dayton proposed a highest-in-the-nation tax hike on wealthy Minnesotans to balance the budget. It’s a plan Republicans say will make Minnesota ‘the king daddy’ of states.

Neither side is even waiting to vote on it — they took off across the state.

Dayton is defending his tax hikes to balance the budget and republicans are on a blitz of their own slamming the plan.

Dayton and Majority House leader Matt Dean came to the WCCO Sunday Morning Show just before the storm hit the Twin Cities. They both discussed the budget plan.

First, Dayton sat down with Esme Murphy for two segments. He talked about what the snowstorm and added precipitation could mean for flooding across the state.

He also addressed the proposed tax hike on the wealthy saying that, “95 percent of people in Minnesota will pay no higher income taxes and no higher state-imposed property taxes. So people look at the lowest number and they are really trying to hide the fact that this is about taxing people making a half-a-million dollars, $1 million, $5 million or more a year — who the department of revenue analysis shows are paying a smaller percentage of their income. … So I’m just trying to ask for basic tax fairness.”

WCCO-TV’s Esme Murphy Interviews Gov. Mark Dayton (Part 1)

In the second segment Gov. Dayton talked about the union protests in Wisconsin and how they relate to what’s happening in our state and our state’s budget.

“There’s this movement afoot now, in this country, to pit middle-income people against one another — public sector (vs.) private sector,” said Dayton. “But in fact what’s happened is there’s been really a massive shift in wealth and income to the very top, which is one of the reasons I’m asking those who are most fortunate to pay more in taxes to help offset this deficit crisis.”

WCCO-TV’s Esme Murphy Interviews Gov. Mark Dayton (Part 2)

In another segment, House Majority leader, Republican Rep. Matt Dean spoke to Murphy on behalf of his party. Dean addressed the Governor’s budget proposal and spoke about labor laws in Minnesota.

“We will not need to raise taxes … we will increase our revenues by about a $1.5 billion,” said Dean. “And really we need to reform as well as just work within that additional amount of revenue that the tax payers are providing us.”